They Can’t Push Us Around Forever

The following is a letterÂ from Tennessee to the other 49Â State Legislatures

We send greetings from the Tennessee General Assembly.Â On June 23, 2009, House Joint Resolution 108, the State Sovereignty Resolution, was signed by Governor Phil Bredesen.Â The Resolution created a committee which has as its charge to:

Communicate the resolution to the legislatures of the several states,

Assure them that this State continues in the same esteem of their friendship,

Call for a joint working group between the states to enumerate the abuses of authority by the federal government, and

Seek repeal of the assumption of powers and the imposed mandates.

It is for those purposes that this letter addresses your honorable body.

In 1776, our founding fathers declared our freedom in the magnificent Declaration of Independence; our guide to governance.Â They established a nation of free and independent states.Â Declaring that the purpose of our political system is to secure for its citizens’ their natural rights.Â The Constitution authorizes the national government to carry out seventeen enumerated powers in Article 1, Section 8 and the powers of several of the ensuing amendments.

At the time of the Constitutional ratification process James Madison drafted the “Virginia Plan” to give Congress general legislative authority and to empower the national judiciary to hear any case that might cause friction among the states, to give the congress a veto over state laws, to empower the national government to use the military against the states, and to eliminate the states’ accustomed role in selecting members of Congress.Â Each one of these proposals was soundly defeated.Â In fact, Madison made many more attempts to authorize a national veto over state laws, and these were repeatedly defeated as well.

There are clear limits to the power of the federal government and clear realms of power for the states.Â However, the simple and clear expression of purpose, to secure our natural rights, has evolved into the modern expectation that the national government has an obligation to ensure our life, to create our liberty, and fund our pursuit of happiness.

The national government has become a complex system of programs whose purposes lie outside of the responsibilities of the enumerated powers and of securing our natural rights; programs that benefit some while others must pay.

Today, the federal government seeks to control the salaries of those employed by private business, to change the provisions of private of contracts, to nationalize banks, insurers and auto manufacturers, and to dictate to every person in the land what his or her medical choices will be.

Forcing property from employers to provide healthcare, legislating what individuals are and are not entitled to, and using the labor of some so that others can receive money that they did not earn goes far beyond securing natural rights, and the enumerated powers in the Constitution.

To be sure, the People created the federal government to be their agent for certain enumerated purposes only.Â The Constitutional ratifying structure was created so it would be clear that it was the People, and not the States, that were doing the ratifying.

The Tenth Amendment defines the total scope of federal power as being that which has been delegated by the people to the federal government, and also that which is absolutely necessary to advancing those powers specifically enumerated in the Constitution of the United States.Â The rest is to be handled by the state governments, or locally, by the people themselves.

The Constitution does not include a congressional power to override state laws.Â It does not give the judicial branch unlimited jurisdiction over all matters.Â It does not provide Congress with the power to legislate over everything. This is verified by the simple fact that attempts to make these principles part of the Constitution were soundly rejected by its signers.

With this in mind, any federal attempt to legislate beyond the Constitutional limits of Congress’ authority is a usurpation of state sovereignty – and unconstitutional.

Governments and political leaders are best held accountable to the will of the people when government is local. The people of a state know what is best for them; authorities, potentially thousands of miles away, governing their lives is opposed to the very notion of freedom.

We invite your state to join with us to form a joint working group between the states to enumerate the abuses of authority by the federal government and to seek repeal of the assumption of powers and the imposed mandates.

Susan Lynn [send her email] is a member of the Tennessee General Assembly; serving on the Commerce Committee and Chairman of the Government Operations committee. She holds a BS in economics and a minor in history. She is the Chairman of the American Legislative Exchange Councilâ€™s Commerce Task Force.Â Visit her blog at http://susan-lynn.blogspot.com

The way that we lost track of state sovereignty is the following, IMO. US citizens have evidently not been teaching the Constitution and its history to their children for many generations, particularly the enumerated constitutional principle of state sovereignty evidenced by the 10th Amendment. Consequently, state sovereignty-ignorant voters have been electing lawmakers to both the state legislatures and the federal senate who are as state sovereignty-impaired as the voters are. And these lawmakers have not been doing their jobs to protect state sovereignty by protecting citizens from illegal federal taxes and unconstitutional federal government interference in their lives as evidenced by the threat of illegal Obamacare, for example.

The following link should help give people an idea how state sovereignty-ignorant voters have shot themselves in the foot with big, corrupt federal government as a consequence of the ill-conceived, anti-state sovereignty 16th and 17th Amendments.

You, Me, Andrew Napolitano, and we hope many millions of others have realized that the 16th and 17th are at teh bottom of much evil. If the states had toe pay a tithe to teh feds for necessary services, much of DC would ebcome a ghost town, and rightly so.
Repealing the 17th will get rid of the "Federal Senator", bought and paid for by national and international lobbyists.
Meanwhile, states should move to impeach and remove senators who do not represent the interests of their states (is there a mechanism to remove a senator?) States should invoke the tenth, and their own power to regulate elections to require that senators demonstrate at least 75% local campaign funding in order to be certified winners by the secretary of state.

Bravo, truly. Here we have a letter that definitely feels historic to me. At least in the sense that we finally have a statesman (or is it stateswoman?) with the courage to resist DC, not just in her own state but now part of an effort to build the resistance across the republic. Is it any surprise that she is a 10-4 pledge?

I hope and pray our Arizona State Legislature responds favorably to this letter and takes a leading role in the joint working group between the states that the Tennessee General Assembly is proposing. Our legislators need to hear from us!

Thank you Representative Lynn. I have tried for months to get anyone I could contact at the state level to do just what you have done. My e-mails to Ron Ramsey, Tony Shipley and others have gone unanswered. I am afraid that as our Federal congress is simply too busy, or uninterested to pay attention to our objections. It appears that the only way we will be able to stave off the impending onslought of strangling federal legislation is through our individual states and the soverignty issue.

Please go very public with this and allow the groundswell of support to build. We have truly found that the only thing the federal congress hears is the very loud stomping of the feet of the general population in this great country. They must hear us in this matter, before we become just another 2nd class country, torn apart by an egotist.

This is what we need to bring control of the Feds back down to their intended responsibility and hopefully the combined states will nullify multiple regulations and laws while resisting obamacare, cap & tax, etc.

Thank you Rep Lynn for getting this started. We’ll try to get Louisiana to join your team.
Jerry

but least we forget that time is of the essence.. by Dec. of this year Obama would have gone to Copenhagen and likely would have signed the treaty disquised as an energy treaty, but in fact would be attempt to transfer sovereigntry over to the UN. and or the EU. this must not happen so this letter to other states is GREAT but we must hurry and prepare for the worst. this thing is not over by a long shot. the agenda of the Obama administration is aggressive and unconstitutional ……… we must stop them asap

This is an important (dare I say historic?) step in the right direction. When the states combine to assert their rights against federal tyranny, what power can the federal government exercise against them?

I call for a legislative quarantine around Washington, D.C. so we can all get back to living our lives productively in the pursuit of happiness. You know, the way the founders intended.

Thank you, Ms Lynn. I urge everyone to contact their state legislature and demand they accept this invitation to take back our Constitutional rights. Send the link to everyone in your contact list; post on all social websites; post on your own site. Let’s make this viral.

Rep Lynn: As a candidate for Governor of Colorado I have based my campaign on honoring the Tenth Amendment of our glorious constitution. This is a movement that will be the foundation of getting back to our founding principles. Implementing the Tenth Amendment and challenging the Sixteenth Amendment is the only way to stop the spicket of funding that enables the current trampling of our constitutional rights.

The 16th allows for direct taxation of our citizens by the federal government. What it doesn’t provide is a limit. Are we to conclude that the 16th allows for 100 % of our income to be taxed by the federal government? If not then what is the limit. I propose 15% as the maximum to insure we pay for what we need to like our military.

This road is long but in honor of our founders and what they endured; well worth the effort.

Correcting my previous reply: While the Fair Tax has several good proposals such as eliminating the Federal Income Tax and IRS ; it does not correct the Unconstitutional and out of control Federal government. Support Rep Susan Lynn's State Sovereignty Resolution to enumerate the abuses of authority of the Federal government and seek repeal of their assumption of powers and imposed mandates!

Rep. Lynn, Great job! The thin tip of a wide wedge is now entered into the woodblock of federal supremacy,now it must be pounded by any means nessary till that block is split and broken.Keep pushing and do not retreat 1 inch! You are in the right!

Our founding fathers were given wisdom from God above to form a country where checks and balances were put in place. Over time, wisdom has faded and has been replaced by foolishness. We have got to get the people off their knees and out stretched arms before the little g, government, and get back on their knees before the big G, God. And ask God for wisdom to make the right decisions and to supply our needs. It is not the responsibility of the government to supply our needs. Rise up people with wisdom, truth, and authority from God Himself and demand back what He has so graciously given to America. No nation in modern history of the world has been as blessed as America has been. History records time after time, that our fore fathers went to their knees for guidance, wisdom, and protection. There is no other reason that God has blessed America the way He has. America is great because we were built on Biblical principles.

George W. Bush did not do many things well, but I believe he was a praying president. I also believe many in his administration were praying individuals as well. Today, we have a president who cancels the national day of prayer at the White House, but yet he is willing to allow the Muslims to pray at OUR Capital. Time after time, members of his administration are found functioning in corruption. He tells other nations that we are no longer a Christian nation. Well Mr. President, WE the people make up this nation, and just because you are not a follower of Jesus Christ, does not mean that this great nation called America, the one that God has shown His blessings on, is not a Christian nation. People continue to pray for nation, its leaders, and its people.

Thank you,Tennessee,for taking action in support of State Sovereignty.

I express gratitude also on behalf of our Virginia forebears Messrs. Jefferson, Washington, Monroe, Madison, Lee(s), Jackson, et al., and on behalf of wives, sisters, mothers without whose example of feminine virtue, our nation would not have come into being.

As a fellow Tennesseean, it is very encouraging to see one of my state legislators lead the charge in this effort. It is time that we the people took back our country from those who would seek to enslave us, and steal our God given rights from us slowly over time.

One of the most important things that we can do is to educate ourselves and our children on the true history of our nation. I would recommend reading reprints of American history books that were printed in the 1800’s, as most American revisionist history started in the late 1920’s. http://www.wallbuilders.com/ has some books that will help in this regard.

Representative Lynn, you are a Blessing to Tennessee. Keep, keeping on. My Rep is Jim Cobb. I Have contacted his office so many times on Liberty issues. I believe you’ll have an friend in Jim for God & Country.

We also need relief at the LOCAL level from the State. So restore all Levels to their rightful Power. Revenue Sharing has been the “culprit.” Grants have been the “noose” that has “strangled us.”

SANCTIFY THE COUNTIES once again. Use the “Private Act” to restore our Counties. As we have a 10th Amendment, so we, the people, have a 9th Amendment and we, the people, live and move and have our beings at the County level. It is where we are. Why do we have LOCALLY elected offices, County Assessor, Local School Board, Constables, County Commissions when the STATE comes and nullifies what we, people, want LOCALLY. We, the people, are told by these LOCALLY elected offices that the STATE has “tied their hands” that they must be “handmaidens of the State.” NO,NO,NO

May God give us back our Beloved Country. Enough is Enough. Let it begin in Tennessee.

Mr. Hand, what an encouraging post. May the Lord bless your campaign for Governor of Colorado.

May the Lord give us deliverance from all of these “contrivances of men” that have put us in “shambles” in this Beloved Nation.

I was reading an “Election Day Sermon” 1777, Samuel Webster:

“No man denies but that originally all were equally free. Men did not purchase their freedom, nor was it the grant of Kings, nor from charter, covenant, or compact, nor in any proper sense from man: BUT FROM GOD. They were born free.
BUT, behold, sin reigned and disturbed the peace of men. And then tyrants presently began to reign also. Like our clothing they are the mark of lost innocence. The people trusting too much power in the hands of some to defend them, they presently used it to oppress them….
Gross ignorance and sloth in the people must lay the foundation. Ignorance is as much the mother of slavery as popish devotion.”

Thank you, Tennessee, for taking action in support of State Sovereignty.

I express gratitude also on behalf of our Virginia forebears Messrs. Jefferson, Washington, Monroe, Madison, Lee(s), Jackson, et al., and on behalf of wives, sisters, mothers, without whose example of feminine virtue our nation would not have come into being.

I think this is exactly the kind of thing that could restore constitutional Federalism to our nation. I have become convinced that one reason so much power has been concentrated in Washington is due to a lack of leadership among the States. If leaders like Susan Lynn will step up to the plate, and make a convincing argument to the citizens in their respective States, we can turn the tide.

Thank You, Rep. Lynn… You are truly a Patriot of this United Republic. I am from Arkansas and have sent e-mails to our state Rep.’s and the Senators, but all I ever get back is a simple pre-form letter that has not addressed any of my questions about State authority over an out of control Government.. God Bless you for this much needed acknowledgement of our rights in the states… I pray that you carry this to every state in our Republic so they to can see how to address this government, and stop the rape of the American people. I am sending this to everyone I can, and again I say I am proud of you, thank you , and God bless you with this effort. Sincerely , Fay Willson

Unless somewhere, somehow, WE THE PEOPLE take this seriously and seriously take immediate peaceful action that works, WE THE PEOPLE will still be sitting here wondering why we no longer have an opportunity to do a darn thing. Our Rights, including the 2nd Amendment will all be gone. JUST LOOK AT HOW THE CONSTITUTION IS IGNORED NOW. BARAK AND CONGRESS DON’T CONSULT THE CONSTITUTION NOW SO WHY WOULD THEY SAVE THEY WILL OBSERVE AND ENFORCE ANY OF IT? THEY WON’T!

Kudos to you rep. Lynn. You are right on the money with this resolution. The independent states must rally and circle the wagons and realize the truth that the Constitution does not authorize the national government to intrude on our personal and states rights. Our only hope to preserve this Republic is for all the states to come together and assert their Constitutional rights to reset our government back to its original intent and mandate. God speed.

Let’s hear it for the great State and people of Tennessee. I will at once write my State Legislator and demand they respond and do as was requested by our brothers and sisters of the Great State of Tennessee this is a common matter of the most grave common concern which we must deal with together.

Glad to see all the thoughtful and insightful comments here – and the great words of encouragement. Thank you to everyone for taking the time to leave your thoughts! Makes sure to send this article to as many of your friends and family as you can – and send an email to Rep. Lynn to let her know how you feel about the work they’re doing in TN….

The flaw in the so-called State sovereignty resolutions, in my opinion, is the failure to make the separation of power between the States and their federal government the first and primary principle.

In the New York State Convention debating ratification of the proposed constitution in 1788, John Jay, who was one of the authors of the Federalist Essays and would later become a justice of the United States Supreme Court, expressed this principle as follows:

â€œWhat are the objects of our state legislatures? Innumerable things of small moment occupy their attention; matters of a private nature, which require much minute and local information. The objects of the general government are not of this nature. They comprehend the interests of the states in relation to each other, and in relation to foreign nations.â€

The federal government was empowered to deal with foreign affairs and relations between the States while the States would concern themselves with domestic affairs. Thus, the powers delegated to the federal government in the body of the Constitution are confined to this separation of power. In other words, the powers granted to the federal government only pertain to activities on one side of the separation of power fence not to activities on the other side of the fence. The federal government has used perversions of the delegated powers to bulldoze the separation of power fence but the States have failed to make rebuilding the fence their primary goal.

By not rebuilding the fence first, the States have created a problem for themselves. When the federal government usurps power through the delegated powers, the States cry foul and invoke the Tenth Amendment. This allows the federal government to simply assert that the Tenth Amendment does not apply because the Amendment only pertains to powers not granted. Thus, your Tenth Amendment Resolutions are meaningless because we are operating under the delegated powers.

When the States start invoking separation of power resolutions, they will open the door for immediate and unqualified nullification because the federal government does not exist and has no power out side of its federal [relations between the States] and foreign powers.

The following should be motive enough for States signing on to coalition to compensate for our unconstitutional Federal Government.

North Dakota boasts the only state-owned bank in the nation. The Bank of North Dakota (BND) was established by the state legislature in 1919 specifically to free farmers and small businessmen from the clutches of out-of-state bankers and railroad men. As a result they are operating at a budget surplus of billions of dollars.â€ (Full report Link: http://www.webofdebt.com/articles/but_governor.php

Most likely the powers controlling our banking system will try to stop this. Thus our legislature can request our Governor create a coalition of Governors creating State Banks to end our financial crises and end the absurdity of not having money being an excuse for not meeting our moral and legal requirement to our citizens (to ourselves) : Lincoln created debt free interest free constitutional money Green Back to save the Union.